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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Mindanao devider After decades of insurgency, Caraga achieves stable peace status

After decades of insurgency, Caraga achieves stable peace status

Published Jun 18, 2026 06:36 pm
OFFICIALS during the SIPS declaration in Caraga. (FB)
OFFICIALS during the SIPS declaration in Caraga. (FB)
BUTUAN CITY – The entire Caraga region was formally declared under a state of Stable Internal Peace and Security (SIPS) on Thursday, marking the culmination of decades of efforts to end insurgency in the area.
The declaration was made at a gathering of governors, mayors, government line agencies, the private sector, and former combatants of the New People's Army (NPA) in Butuan City.
Top government officials, including Undersecretary Angelito de Leon of the Department of National Defense; Undersecretary Ernesto Torres Jr., Executive Director of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict; and Undersecretary Jonathan Ferdinand Miano of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity, were present.
"For decades, many parts of our region bore the burdens of insurgency, instability, and underdevelopment, with communities living with uncertainty, opportunities were limited, investments hesitated, and progress slowed down," Butuan City Mayor Lawrence Lemuel Fortun said.
The declaration of SIPS, he added, is the collective accomplishment of the entire region, including the steadfast efforts of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the Philippine National Police, government agencies, local government units, and community support.
The declaration came after all provinces and Butuan City were declared insurgency-free, following the collapse of the North Eastern Mindanao Regional Committee of the NPA.
Agusan del Norte was declared insurgency-free on June 5; Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Sur, and Butuan City on June 15; Dinagat Islands on Dec. 12, 2014; and Surigao del Norte on March 15, 2024.
Lt. Gen. Adonis Ariel Orio, commander of the Eastern Mindanao Command, represented the AFP Chief of Staff, Gen. Romeo Brawner.
"The declaration is proof of how far the Caraga region has come, from years of conflict and uncertainty to a future of stability and opportunities," Brawner said in his message, as delivered by Orio.
Aljon Intano, president of the United Caraganon for Peace and Development Federation Inc. (UCPDFI), expressed hope for former rebels with the SIPS declaration.
"The former rebels in the Caraga region are thankful for being part of the declaration of SIPS in the whole region," Intano said, representing the former rebels.
He added that the declaration will allow hundreds of former rebels still staying in military camps for security reasons to reunite with their families and communities and live peacefully.
A peace marker was unveiled during the activity, led by Torres and De Leon and witnessed by government and local chief executives.
Participants also signed a pledge of commitment for peace, committing to build a just society where every individual has equal opportunities and protection under the law, and to continue counterinsurgency initiatives in pursuit of permanent peace and development. (PNA)

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